Intentionality: a Ten-Second Exercise

March 5, 2025

Conciseness.

My first improv teacher was fond of making us set intentions every class. He'd leave a short pause, no more than ten seconds. It wasn't enough time to plan ahead; you pretty much went with the first thing that came to mind. Something you want to experiment with, improve, or really any other kind of goal. It had to be short because if it were too complex, it would be impossible to remember mid-scene.

I've noticed that good things happen when I set intentions for myself in other contexts, too. It reduces my wandering in conversations. It makes workdays a little more productive. Detours are less frequent and tend to be shorter-lived when teaching others. Coding sessions feel more instructional as well.

After class, he would ask us to think of a word or phrase to reflect on the lesson. Again, the pause would be around ten seconds. It had to be short because class was over and people had places to be.

Direct.